This morning we drove to Maryland, to Assateague Island National Seashore. We saw American Black Ducks, Killdeer, two eagles and a few horses before entering the fee area.
American Black Ducks
American Black Duck
American Black Duck
Killdeer
We saw both an immature and adult bald eagle.
American Bald Eagles
American Bald Eagles
We saw four horses.
Three horses crossing road
Hey! Wait for me!
Once at the national seashore we walked on the south beach, where we watched waves roll into shore, collected several seashells, saw dolphins and had our picture taken.
South Beach Dunes
Wave Crashing Onshore
Dolphin!
A very nice lady took our picture on the South Beach.
Bob and I at the beach
We are so very happy. We have enjoyed our vacation very much!
Leaving Assateague Island, we drove to Berlin MD. We ate lunch at The Sterling Tavern. The entrees we ordered were good. Bob ordered a shrimp po’boy with chips. I ordered a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with chips.
Back “home” it was finally warm enough to make use of our screened-in porch. Bob played his ukulele, and I read.
Bob playing ukulele
Late afternoon we went for a walk to the Robert N. Reed, Sr. Downtown Waterfront Park. The park is located 0.45 miles from “home”.
Misty of Chincoteague at waterfront park
These four Adirondack chairs are 10 feet tall and weigh more than 500 pounds. The chairs arrived in Chincoteague in the summer of 2014 and promote the state’s “Virginia is for Lovers” tourism slogan.
The Sea Flash fishing ship was docked at the waterfront park.
What a beautiful day it was. We enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the sights and sounds both in Maryland and Virginia.
A flock of American White Ibis flew onto our “pond” this morning.
American White Ibis
American White Ibis
The American White Ibis, coming to visit us, was really cool!
We ate breakfast at McDonald’s. We both ordered egg bagel meals. Bob had an egg, steak and cheese bagel. I had an egg, bacon and cheese bagel.
After breakfast we drove to Food Lion, located about 11 miles away off of Route 175. We picked up groceries for our stay in Chincoteague.
From Food Lion we drove over to Family Dollar, located in the same shopping center, and purchased a laundry basket and two hand towels.
We carry odds and ends to the car in a laundry basket, when traveling. A laundry basket allows for fewer trips to the car. Our laundry basket needed to be replaced because it broke, when we packed it in the car in Surfside Beach.
We opted not to purchase a linen package for our Chincoteague rental. We didn’t realize that bath mats counted as linens. We will use the hand towels for bath mats.
We returned “home” around 10:00. It was partly sunny. By 11:00 am it was overcast. During that hour that we were home, Bob went for a walk in the neighborhood. I had asked him to take a picture of our rental from the next street over.
Our rental Back of the house
The sun returned around noon.
We drove to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and followed Beach Rd to the end. We saw egrets, great blue herons, a king fisher, and Northern Shoveler ducks.
While at the wildlife refuge, I kept commenting on the water level. Higher than usual tide water and rainfall are causing water tables to rise.
If you have been to Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, you may recognize this area. It is on the right, on Beach Rd as you head towards Assateague Beach. It is where horses are usually seen. We have never seen the water this high!
Along Beach Rd there are water channels, where we often see ducks, herons and egrets.
We can’t recall ever seeing a wide stream of water, as shown, coming into the channel.
We spent some time on Assateague Beach, watching the waves and a paddle board surfer.
Assateague Beach Looking North
Assateague Beach Looking South
Paddle Board Surfer
While at Assateague Beach, I heard a very loud noise behind me and getting close. I looked in the direction that the noise was coming from. Coming fast toward me was a large flock of snow geese. I was caught by surprise (and very much excited). I ended up turning on and then turning off video. I managed to capture 1 second of video. The geese flew right over my head. I tensed up, hoping that I wouldn’t be shit on! (and I wasn’t!).
Snow Geese
We left the wildlife refuge, when the sun went away and the sky became overcast. Before returning home, we drove to Island Creamery for ice cream. I had one scoop of peanut butter cup IN a cup. Bob had one scoop of Java Jolt in a chocolate-covered waffle bowl.
The sun came back out and shone brilliantly around 3:00 pm. We returned to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. We drove around the wildlife loop, where we saw Tundra Swans and a Sika Deer. We drove to the end of Beach Rd as well. We saw Northern Shoveler ducks, Great Blue Herons, Egrets and, finally, a few horses.
Here is a slideshow of the wildlife that we saw at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
It was around 4:30 pm, when we returned home from Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
Our rental Front of the house
We prepared dinner — Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff and mixed vegetables. It has been a few years since we ate Hamburger Helper. The beef stroganoff was quite tasty.
While preparing dinner, we saw that an American White Ibis had returned to the pond in our backyard.
American White Ibis
It was very windy in the evening. The wind whipped through the screens of the screened-in porch and made the sound of a train. We were happy that we had no outdoor plans for the evening!
Today’s forecast: Warmer than yesterday, with the possibility of LOTS of rain
Almost 1.50 inches of rain That is a lot of rain, if it happens!
What am I doing, as we wait for the rain?
I paid several bills this morning and entered the expenditures in Quicken. This was a new experience for me, paying monthly bills while on vacation. Past vacations I paid bills before we left on vacation. The next month’s bills were due, when we returned home from vacation. The bill paying experience went well.
I am reading book 5 in the Stillhouse Lake series (6 books). I started reading the Stillhouse Lake series (6 books) in 2018. This series was written by Rachel Caine. I thoroughly enjoyed the first four books in the series: “Stillhouse Lake”, “Killman Creek”, Wolfhunter River” and “Bitter Falls”. The Stillhouse Lake series genre is adult thriller. Each book was intense and action packed and provided an excellent “can’t put down the book” reading experience. I had the last two books in the series in my Amazon shopping list. I hit the buy button this morning and purchased both books. I found out, when I made the purchase that Rachel Caine, the author, had passed away in November 2020. Apparently she was co-writing with another author, as the 6th book is written by Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan.
I am reading “Heartbreak Bay”, Book 5 of the Stillhouse Lake series.
The 6th book in the Stillhouse Lake series is entitled “Trapper Road”. I have no doubt that I will finish reading both of these books, before our vacation ends!
It hadn’t started to rain, as of 10:30 am, so we decided to take a short walk on the beach.
The wind had picked up.
Wind-blown Sand
The waves looked angry.
Surfside Beach on a windy day The waves were flowing right to left, the direct opposite of what they were doing the previous day.
It was 55 degrees on the beach, but there was still a chill in the air.
Linda on the beach
Bob on the beach
In December last year I activated a free 3-month Apple Arcade trial subscription. We have been playing arcade games, in particular Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure, while on vacation. We have played this game everyday, including today. Bob is way ahead of me. He is on Puzzle 216; I am on Puzzle 176. I have no clue how many puzzles are in this game. No need to worry about the subscription ending before we finish the game, though. I purchased a 1-year subscription for approximately $50.00. I am not a gamer; however, I do enjoy puzzles, board games and crosswords. Apple Arcade has lots of the type of games that I enjoy.
We ate dinner at home. I prepared spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic bread sticks and jello.
We watched TV. Both Law and Order: Organized Crime and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit stream on Fridays on Peacock TV.
The rain came eventually. I first heard the rain falling around 6:00 pm and continued throughout the evening.
We visited Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Myrtle Beach late this morning. This visit was my first time ever in this type of exhibit. Bob said that he visited Niagara Falls’ Believe It or Not, when he was a child. He didn’t remember much about that visit.
If you choose to visit only Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, it will cost $24.99 for each adult. We purchased a combo ticket that included Ripley’s Aquarium. A ticket for the aquarium only would cost $39.99. We paid $49.99 +tax for the combo ticket. We visited Ripley’s Aquarium on Wednesday, February 21.
Here are some of the exhibits that we saw at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Giant Gorilla made out of Recycled Tires
Million Dollar Marilyn The United States government shreds billions of dollars of worn-out paper money each year. This likeness of Marilyn Monroe is worth a fortune – it’s made of over a million dollars of shredded bills!
This representation of the futuristic robot Wall-E was inspired by the 2008 movie of the same name, and is made entirely of used automobile parts.
Back to the Future’s iconic “floating” hoverboard
World’s Tallest Man
Kamala the Indian Wolf Girl
Cricket Lamp Made from golf clubs, golf balls and other upcycled materials
I like the painted lighthouse.
Butterfly-Wing Art This abstract design was created of iridescent butterfly wings.
This portrait of Beatle John Lennon is made of pennies.
Dinosaur
Vortex Tunnel
There is a sign at the beginning of the tunnel that instructs Cowards to go this way, and points away from the tunnel. As I walked through the tunnel, it felt like the floor tipped to the left. The Vortex Tunnel is a very cool exhibit!
This exhibit was interactive and fun.
This junk art motorcycle is made of 367 pieces of discarded, recycled miscellaneous household objects salvaged scrap yards, junk piles and collected from community members. There are no motorcycle parts.
Thor and Ironman
We both had a great time at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
This morning we visited Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach at Broadway at the Beach. The aquarium is the first of two Ripley attractions that we plan to visit during this vacation. The second attraction is Ripley’s Believe It or Not, which we will visit another day.
We spent a couple hours in the aquarium.
Cute phot opportunity
Although I enjoyed the whole aquarium experience, I especially liked (1) watching the penguins; (2) seeing the sloths and (3) gliding through an underwater tunnel with sharks swimming beside us and over our heads.
First two penguins that we saw
Then, all of a sudden, there was a parade of penguins.
We arrived at the Penguin Playhouse at feeding time.
Feeding Time
The attendant tried to entice a penguin to leave an alcove; she wasn’t successful.
After feeding time, some penguins went for a swim.
It doesn’t look easy for a penguin to get out of the pond.
In Sloth Valley there are two two-toed sloths, Rico and Cleo. Both sloths were curled up in a tree.
Is this Rico or Cleo? I don’t know. But isn’t it cute!
We stepped onto a 340-foot glide path that slowly moved us through an underwater tunnel, with water above and all around us. Enormous sharks, saw fish and smaller fishes swam beside and above us.
the Dangerous Reef experience
Bob captured video, as well, of our underwater experience. Bob’s video shows more sharks than my video did.
the Dangerous Reef experience
We even saw a few scuba divers in the waters of the Dangerous Reef.
It appears that a couple of the scuba divers are working on something along the wall, while other divers are keeping watch for shark.
It was possible to pet a stingray, while at the aquarium.
Bob pets the stingrays. The barbs on the tails have been removed.
What I have shared in this blog post is only a small fraction of what a visitor will see and what they can do at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. Our visit lasted a couple of hours. A ticket to the aquarium costs $39.99 +tax. We purchased a combo ticket for $49.99 +tax that includes one other Ripley attraction. We feel that the money was well spent.
We purchased a souvenir picture, as a keepsake of our aquarium visit.
It was lunchtime, when we left the aquarium. There are lots of restaurants from which to choose at Broadway on the Beach. Bob wanted a restaurant that had a wide selection of beer choices. The American Tap House met that objective.
Bob chose a cream ale that he said was “quite tasty”.
The bottle flag behind where we sat was impressive.
For our lunch entrees Bob ordered a Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap with French fries, and I ordered Chicken Fingers with French fries. Both entrees were good. Our waitress took real good care of us. The restaurant wasn’t busy, while we were there. That fact could have been the reason why we received such good service.
After lunch we did some window and in-store shopping. Our only purchase was for me — a Myrtle Beach butterfly hoodie.
Before leaving Broadway at the Beach, we stopped for dessert at Starbucks. I enjoyed the best Chai Tea Latte that I have ever had. Bob enjoyed an Oleato™ Caffé Latte With Oatmilk, which he enjoyed as well. We shared a delicious chocolate chip cookie.
Several hours later we again ate out. We didn’t travel far from home. We walked two short blocks from our house to Neal & Pam’s Bar & Grill. Bob ordered a Mahi Mahi Basket. I ordered a hot cheese and ham sandwich with a pasta salad. Both entrees were good. Service was excellent.
After dinner we walked across Ocean Blvd to the 1st Ave S beach access. We didn’t go on the beach. We just climbed the steps to the top of the dune. We watched the waves as they rolled in. The water looked very pleasing with the late afternoon sun hitting it. I didn’t take a picture of the beach.
Instead of taking a picture of the beach, I took a picture of the almost full moon.
On Wednesday, September 27th, we ate breakfast at Stacked Pancake House, located at 7190 Morrison Street, a couple of blocks from our rental Airbnb “Niagara Falls Townhouse”. Sandy and I ordered Fresh Fruit Waffles. Bob’s breakfast was two pancakes, eggs, home fries and rye toast. Jim chose an omelette, I believe, with home fries and toast.
My Fresh Fruit Waffle
After breakfast we returned to our rental Airbnb and hung out for a short while.
Jim, Sandy and me at our rental airbnb
Later in the morning we visited White Water Walk. The White Water Walk attraction is located along Niagara River Parkway, approximately 5.2 km (a little over 3 miles) north of the Table Rock Welcome Center. We parked at the White Water Walk parking lot and walked across Niagara River Parkway to the attraction. After paying $17.50 CAD each, we rode an elevator down 70 meters (approximately 229.6 feet) and walked 73 meters (approximately 239.5 feet) through a tunnel to the base of the Niagara Gorge. A quarter-mile of boardwalk runs along the shoreline of the Niagara River. We walked down the riverside boardwalk, enjoying the sound and view of crashing waves and seeing the 410-million-year-old rock layers of the Niagara Gorge. Branching off from the boardwalk are several viewing platforms that allowed us to get even closer to the Whirlpool Rapids.
White Water Walk Boardwalk
Jim on the White Water Walk Boardwalk
Bob took this picture of Sandy and me on the White Water Walk boardwalk.
Bob was standing on a platform below us, when he took the picture.
Bob on Viewing Platform at White Water Walk
There were several informative signs along the boardwalk that provided facts about White Water Walk. For example, an explanation was given for why the water is green. “An estimated 60 tons of dissolved minerals are swept over Niagara Falls every minute. The color comes from the dissolved salts and ‘rock flour’ (very finely ground rock) picked up primarily from the limestone bed but also from the shales and sandstones under the limestone cap at the falls.”
Jim, Sandy, Bob and me on the White Water Walk Boardwalk
Niagara Gorge Walls
In addition to still photographs I captured a few video clips, which I have combined in this YouTube video.
The sound and view of the crashing waves was awesome!
An explanatory sign along the boardwalk indicated that the “water travels past White Water Walk at about 48 km/h or 30mph, creating the Whirlpool Raids which are class 6 whitewater rapids”.
This was the first visit to White Water Walk for all four of us. We enjoyed seeing this Niagara Parks attraction.
This is the first of four blog posts about Day 2 of our Niagara Falls Mid-Week Getaway … more to come.
We hiked down to Blackwater Falls via the Boardwalk Trail. This trail starts at the Trading Post parking area and leads to a stone patio and boardwalk more than 200 steps down to an observation deck beside Blackwater Falls.
The trail to Blackwater Falls starts here.
The trail follows the natural contours of the slope down to Blackwater Falls.
There is an “Almost Heaven” photo opportunity on the stone patio.
Blackwater Falls This view of the falls is from behind the “Almost Home” swing on the stone patio.
What follows are photographs and a video from various vantage points, as we descended those 200+ steps.
Blackwater Falls
Blackwater Falls
Bob and I at Blackwater Falls
Bob and I at Blackwater Falls
Blackwater Falls
How wonderful that we were able to climb down and back up 400+ steps for these awesome views of Blackwater Falls!
We also hiked the Lindy Point Trail to Lindy Point Overlook. This trail is located one mile past the sled run parking area. There is a small parking area at the trailhead. The trail extends 0.3 miles to an observation platform that sits at 3,000 feet overlooking the Blackwater Canyon. This trail, although riddled with tree roots, rocks and many wet spots, was manageable.
The Lindy Point Overlook trail starts here.
The trail to Lindy Point Overlook was riddled with tree roots and rocks.
The trail to Lindy Point Overlook had many puddles that needed to be traversed.
This boardwalk was a welcome sight. It wasn’t long, though, until we reached the Lindy Point Overlook.
Looking one direction from the Lindy Point Overlook
Looking another direction from the Lindy Point Overlook
Bob and I at the Lindy Point Overlook
This is the second of three blog posts about Day 5 of our West Virginia / North Carolina vacation … more to come.
The Beauty Around Us 